The Dragon of the South
by scarface101
Summary: Naruto and Korra. Best friends since Childhood have finally reunited. One Dreams of earning the title 'Dragon' the other dreams of Surpassing Avatar Aang himself. Can they do it? Warning: Some Mako bashing during Spirits arc. Bashing of Raiko. Naruto x Korra x Asami x Jinora. [Last one is MUCH later.] Disclaimer: I own nothing.


**A/N: I figured that I'll do a Naruto/ Legend of Korra story. I hope this turns out well; because I'm gonna try hard since I like Korra!**

**Chapter one: Friends forever.**

"So... you're leaving?" asked a young girl of the Southern Water Tribe, as she absentmindedly petted her Polar Bear-Dog. She was with a young boy about a year older than her who had blue eyes, and unique golden hair color. "Yeah; I'm going to make a name for myself in Republic city. I'll become the strongest Fire Bender in the world! Be the Greatest Pro-bender to exist! And maybe even become the Fire Nation representative for Republic city!" the boy yelled excitedly.

A determined look appeared on her face as she yelled back "Yeah?! Well I'll surpass Avatar Aang! Or my name isn't Avatar Korra!" the whiskered boy laughed heartily and spoke "I have no doubt Pudge. I have no doubt."

She huffed at that horrible nickname and made a pouting face; he put a hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry about it... I promise that one day. We'll meet again in Republic city! Our names will go down in history!" She giggled at that last one and hugged him, crying slightly "We'll be friends forever right?" she asked, if only to confirm what she already knew in her heart.

"Yes. That's a promise from me to you. I swear on my honor as the adopted Prince of the Fire nation and on my name as Naruto! Future Dragon of the South!" he spoke making Korra hug him tighter. "I'll be starting my fire bending training." she said in a slightly happier tone.

"Heh. You were always a firecracker! You'll do fine." he said rubbing her head making her smile widely. The two got on the Pup Naga's back, and rode her back home.

**Years later.**

"Those were good times." Naruto grinned, remembering his best friend from his childhood. His adopted grandpa Zuko recommended that he and Korra get to know each other so he had stayed amongst the Southern Water tribe for two years. When they first met, the first thing they did was try to beat each other up. After a brief fight the two almost immediately became fast friends.

He had made good on their promise too, he was said to be a Fire-bending prodigy that was perhaps an equal, if not surpassing Zuko in his youth, he had become a legendary Pro-bender. And now he was the Fire Nation representative for Republic city. His right arm pained him slightly as he felt it twitch underneath the bandages and clothe sling.

He sighed at his injury, then out of almost nowhere his phone began ringing; he picked it up and spoke into it "If this is Tenzin, is your wife in labor? If this is Tarrlok, suck dirt and die; call me again and I'll kill you. If this is my favorite metalbending Godmother, I hope you arrested Amon."

"It's me you big dope; and NO. I haven't arrested Amon yet since he hasn't done anything technically illegal." spoke a feminine yet very gruff voice on the phone. "Damn it!; So you need something? Got anything good? Want my help in the old good cop and bad cop shtick?" he asked hoping to get out of his damn office.

"Slow it down kiddo. It's just some troublemaker; water tribe girl. Beat up some Triads." the Chief of Police said in a stern tone. "And you arrested her for beating some Triad members? I say give her a medal." he spoke causing his godmother to shout at him "I WON'T HAVE RANDOM CIVILIANS DISHING OUT VIGILANTE JUSTICE! Besides she's under arrest for property damage and evading arrest. Girl tried to escape riding on a Polar-Bear Dog."

His eyes lit up... there was only one person he knew that had a Polar-Bear Dog "SAY NO MORE! I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" he slammed the phone down and ran out the door with inhuman speed. On the other end of the Phone line, Lin's ears were ringing at the force of that shout, all the while she wondered where he got all that energy from.

She sighed and headed down to the interrogation room, she entered with a folder and spoke "You have any idea how much trouble you're in? Destruction of property, evading and resisting arrest." the arrested girl huffed and said "This is all some kind of mistake! I wanna speak to who's in charge."

The Metalbender's eyes narrowed as she said "You're looking at her." Korra then said "If you're the chief... you're Toph Beifong's daughter right? I'm Avatar Korra!"

Lin's eyes threatened to pop out of her head... "Oh spirits." the door was kicked open by a certain blue-eyed Firebender who yelled "KOOOOOOOORRAAAAA!" he tackled the cuffed waterbender, and by a happy mistake broke her cuffs, he hugged her tightly almost cutting off her supply oxygen. It took her a few moments to register what had happened but then she realized just who was hugging her "NARUTO!" she cried out in joy hugging him back.

When they ended the hug the blonde looked her over and whistled "You've filled out nicely Korra. Guess I can't call you Pudge anymore." she blushed in embarrassment at both the compliment and at that nicknamed she'd hated for the longest time. "Well look at you! You're not that scrawny kid anymore!" she said, remembering that he used to be pretty skinny.

Lin coughed to get their attention and said gruffly "Skip the mushy stuff. Naruto, this is an interrogation and..." he flicked her on the forehead making her yelp in pain. "Release her please. I'll cover the damages personally. Please? For me? Favorite godson?" he said the last parts with the puppy dog eyes.

Not even the Chief could prepare herself for those accursed eyes... and her willpower was quickly crumbling. She sighed deeply and said in a defeated tone "Fine. Take her; but if she gets in trouble I won't let her off so easily." the Avatar was absolutely stunned, her best friend had handled Lin like she was some kind of rookie cop! _'Wow. Naruto's puppy eyes are as powerful as ever.'_ she thought remembering on how he would abuse those adorable eyes to often get out of trouble... in some cases leaving Korra holding the bad when they got into mischeif.

After that he dragged her away by the hand with an excited grin as he spoke "Korra! We've got sooooooo much to catch up on!" she nodded in agreement as she spoke "Just wait till you meet Naga! She really missed you!"

in their excitement they bumped into someone making all three people fall to the floor; "Ah, there you are." spoke the person they bumped into revealing it to be Tenzin. "Hey old man! You come to get Korra?" asked the blonde. Tenzin got up and adjusted his robe as he replied "Yes, but apparently you beat me to the punch. Not surprising given your antics... AND I'M NOT THAT OLD!" he shouted the last part out with a crimson face, making the two best friends chuckle.

Tenzin cleared his throat and spoke while... attempting to keep a straight face "Regardless, thanks for clearing this mess up Naruto. I shall be escorting Korra back to the docks and send her back home." at that Naruto flicked the Airbender on the forehead and said in a serious voice "Nope. I don't think so old man. Korra just got here. Republic city needs the Avatar NOW. And I'm not gonna let you ship her off and waste everyone's time."

"B-b-but..." the Monk attempted to speak but was cut off by Naruto "But nothing damnit! She's here now! We need the Avatar NOW." Tenzin attempted to argue but kept being cut off "Avatar. Now." the blonde spoke with finality.

Sensing his defeat, the Airbender hung his head. _'Rule of Thumb: Naruto ALWAYS gets his way.'_ he thought, while Korra was barely holding in her laughter at how Naruto schooled Tenzin. "HEEEEEEELP!" screamed a metalbending officer as he was dragged down the hallway with a charging Polar-Bear Dog.

Naga jumped on Naruto and started licking him all over his face "Hey Naga. Good girl... Ouch." the blonde chocked out as he felt the crushing weight of Naga, who finally got up letting the Firebender breath again. "Siiiiign heeeeere." spoke the officer weakly as he held up a clipboard. Korra took it, signed her name and lead Naga outside to save herself further embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Never a dull moment with that girl!" the blonde spoke as Tenzin nodded, knowing he was going to have to begin Korra's Airbending training anyway since she was allowed to stay.

On the boat, heading to the Air temple island Korra and Naruto eagerly caught up, the former was amazed at her best friends stories about his tutelage under his adopted Grandfather Zuko, his rise in the Pro-bending arena, and his current occupation as a Council member. She was saddened at how he was forced into retirement in the Pro-bending arena, though didn't know why. "Say... what's wrong with your arm?" she had noticed the clothe sling and how it was all wrapped up, but didn't find a good opportunity till now to ask.

"A... most unfortunate accident. Katara herself tried her best to heal it... but it's never been the same." he said somberly making her 'oh' in response. He smiled and said hoping to cheer her up "Don't worry. This injury won't stop me from becoming the 'Dragon of the South'. As a welcome to Republic city present I'll treat you to a Pro-bending match."

Her eyes lit up brightly at that "REALLY?! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE ONE!" she screamed in joy. "Absolutely not. Korra must focus on..." his voice died in his throat seeing Naruto's 'Demon glare' sweating nervously he continued "On her Airbending training... but I don't see the harm in the occasional break. Though she must at least train for a bit before seeing one." he finished hoping for a compromise.

Seeing the blonde nod with a smile, he knew he accepted to compromise. One of the monks working the Ferry approached Tenzin and said "Most wise, not angering a young Dragon." the Airbending master sighed, remembering the last time he had angered Naruto... it ended with a fire, a few explosions, a singed beard, and Ikki singing about Fire lillies and angry moose lions.

In the background Korra was jumping up and down in glee, after a bit she stopped and said "When I first got here, there was this protestor guy... protesting against Benders." sensing her curiosity the blonde answered "Yeah, lately there's been a group called the Equalists. A group of Non-benders that think bending is the source of evil. They feel oppressed because Benders get better jobs, there's the Bending Triads, and the fact the Police force was made up of nothing but benders."

"Was?" asked Korra, making her best friend answer "Yeah, I put through a motion that allowed a Non-bending group of Officers with special training in Chi blocking. That helped ease some tensions but that hasn't stopped Amon. The masked guy you likely saw on a poster or flier of the Equalists." she nodded briefly as they finally arrived to the island.

Waiting for them were Tenzin's children, from youngest to oldest Meelo, Ikki and Finally Jinora. Ikki bombarded Korra asking if she was staying, with the Avatar replying she was. The Avatar noticed Jinora sending glances towards her best friend and the fact the young airbender was blushing _'Does she like Naruto?'_ she decided to ask about that later for now she had to worry about her training.

"Much as I detest letting reporters on the island, they insisted on getting a quick interview with you." spoke Tenzin pointing towards a waiting group of reporters, holding their note pads and cameras at the ready.

"Speak only what is necessary. Don't reveal personal information. And don't let them see you nervous; Reporters feed off that. And if they ask a question you don't want to answer, give them the 'no comment'" spoke the blonde giving his friend advice, making her ask "Does it work?" he nodded replying "Works for me."

She nodded as the reporters swarmed her and asked her question after question about if she was staying in Republic city, if she was going to take on the Triads and/or Equalists.

In the background the blonde was truly happy that his best friend had finally arrived in Republic City. He had sincerely missed her. To be honest with himself... he was completely in love with her. Absence made the heart grow fonder. He wondered silently if she felt the same; if not then he would try his best to earn her love. And if it didn't work out and she gets someone else he'll grit his teeth and be happy for her... but if the one she dates hurts her in any way... then Naruto will make sure they spend the rest of their days eating their food through a straw.

**Elsewhere.**

A cold shiver ran up a young Pro-bender wearing a scarf. "What's the matter bro? You look like someone stepped in your grave." the Firebender's brother, Bolin said slightly concerned. Mako shrugged and said "Dunno, but I feel like someone's planning to beat me up for breaking a girls heart." **[A/N: Mako won't be majorly bashed till the Spirits arc. His selling out Korra was a real dick move on his part.]**

**A few days later.**

Korra once again attempted to airbend after getting battered and bruised by the 'Spinning gates of Pain' as she took to calling them. Her target for her airbending was a newpaper with a picture with one Lin Beifong. "Hey Korra." she jumped slightly knowing who that voice belonged to, she tried to hide her targ... er newspaper. "Rough day huh? Trying to take it out on my godmother?" he said in mischievous tone.

"You got me. It's just SO frustrating! I was born into waterbending so that was a no-brainer. Earth and Fire came natural too! But... no Air." She made a sputtering sound to get her point across at her failure. "Mah. Don't let it bother you. Lightning Bending was pretty hard for me. Lightning requires absolute focus and concentration. As those two words were pretty hard when I was younger. But One day... I succeeded. My grandpa's adivce was, to try looking at my problem another way. Maybe the problem isn't you. Maybe it's how you're going about it."

She knew he was trying to help her. He tapped her foot several times then replied "But I don't even know what I'm doing wrong." Naruto could tell how frustrated and upset she was and spoke to her gently "I don't have absolute wisdom. I'm not all-knowing. Your problem is for you to discover."

she sighed dejectedly at that as she crossed her arms. Sensing her sadness he said "I wasn't entirely honest about this arm. Lie of omission actually."

She turned to him with questioning eyes as he continued speaking "It was during my Pro-bending career. I was at my peak. Roaring fans all across the city, my name in banners and flags, my name was a house-hold name that everyone knew. I was highly respected for my skills. 'The Untouchable Bender' I was called, because I would either not get hit at all during a match, or I would KO the other teams before they could put up a decent defense. And yes, I fought alone, a handicap given to me due to being a part of Zuko's family, even though I'm adopted."

She sat down next to him as she listened "It was during the Championships; my twelfth Title Defense as the Champions, about two years ago. Against the Wolf-Bats. People were betting heavily. A Fixer who betted on the Wolf-Bats slipped a drug in my water; the drug was supposed to mess up my Chi during the match so I couldn't bend properly... During the match... I attempted to bend out of my right arm... and it imploded..."

Korra gasped in horror at that, her hands covered her mouth as he continued "Apparently the mixture of the drug was wrong, so instead of weakening me... it made my chi unstable and made my arm explode. Blood was spraying everywhere and people were screaming out... fortunately Katara was there to cheer me on since she was visiting her family. She healed my arm as best she could... but..." he slowly unwraped his arm... showing the burn scars of where it had imploded. Otherwise it was remarkably intact.

"I... had... I didn't know." she choked out in horror. He shrugged and said "Best doctors in the world all recommended the same thing: Give up any strenuous work. Give up on earning the title 'Dragon'. I told them to fuck off, I would become the Dragon of the South despite being crippled."

She hugged him tightly and said while crying slightly "You've never changed at all." he smiled and hugged her back saying "Don't cry. It's all fine. I've gotten used to it. Say; we never went to a Pro-bending match yet. I still owe it to you." she smiled in happiness as she nodded in agreement knowing he was trying to make her smile.

After a half-hour the two arrived at the Pro-bending arena and heard a "OH MY GOD! IT'S NARUTO!" a series of squeals and shrieks was heard as a horde of Fan-girls charged at the blonde. "Run." Naruto said as they ran away not wanting to get swarmed.

After hiding in the Pro-bender's locker room they had finally lost the horde of Fan-girls. Korra gasped out "What the [pant] hell [pant] was that about?" the whiskered man answered "Simple, despite my injury, I'm still widely popular for my dashing good looks, fortune, and reputation, etc. Girls will still chase after me. And so I've got to avoid them whenever possible. I should've warned you, sorry."

"By the spirits!" another voice said, they turned and saw "Naruto! It's me! Bolin! You remember me right?" said the Earthbender excitedly. "Oh yeah; Korra, this is Bolin. He and his brother Mako were my friends while I was a Pro-bender."

Bolin nodded and said "Yeah! You knocked us out and kicked us around so many time! We were kinda sad when... you know..." he glanced at the blonde's arm making the Councilor shrug and say "Don't worry about it. Say, can you let us into the Bender's box? I don't want to get mobbed by Fan-girls, and my pal Korra deserves the best seats available."

The Earthbender nodded and replied happily "Not a word further! I've got your back buddy! C'mon!" he guided the two best friends towards the Bender's box, where his brother Mako and their Waterbending teammate was waiting.

"Naruto!" yelped the older brother not expecting the legendary Pro-bender. The whiskered Firebender waved him off and said "Don't worry about it. Give my pal Korra a good show yeah? This is her first time here."

Bolin slapped the blonde on the back and said in a excited tone "Leave it to us." as the team headed out Naruto noticed that Korra's eyes were glued to the arena. When the bell rung he noticed that she was hooked into the whole thing. He smiled as he affectionately twirled her ponytail between his fingers, she smiled warmly at that. He always liked doing that, and she let him because she kind of liked it.

She really liked the blonde; hell she might even love him. But... did he feel the same? Was it even real love? Or was it the kind that was reserved for siblings by bond? She couldn't tell. Deciding to enjoy the match and her best friends company she leaned her head into his shoulder, and tenderly stroked his injured arm. She had once heard a great bender had a accident... but she had no idea it was her best friend till now.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, if she was truly in THAT kind of love with him, she had to keep the Fan-girls away. But... what about Jinora? Should she tell Jinora how she feels about Naruto to discourage her? She'd have to be gentle about it though; she didn't want to come off as mean or anything. Plus there was also the fact he was at somewhat older than the young Airbender.

She sighed contentedly as her best friend continued to play around with her ponytail between his fingers. Here she was, reunited with her best friend, being treated to her first pro-bending match, in the best seats in the arena.

Things... couldn't be more perfect. _'But how long will it actually last'?_

**End Chapter one.**

**A/N: Somewhat shorter than I wanted. But I thought that was a better note to end on. Please Review lots!**


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